Review: Miami City Ballet soars with 'Don Quixote'

Posted: Monday, November 06, 2006

By By Chuck BergSpecial to The Capital-Journal

When Edward Villella accepted the role of Founding Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet in 1985, few would have predicted that his fledgling company would soon become one of the dance world's greatest glories.

Although Villella for years had been the virile star of the New York City Ballet, the "Gene Kelly of Ballet" had his work cut out for him. The skeptics scoffed: "Ballet, in Florida?" Villella, however, had correctly assessed Miami's potential.

In the spectacular Saturday night presentation of "Don Quixote" at the Lied Center in Lawrence, Villella's vision was more than realized. Capitalizing on the ballet's Spanish flavor (it is set in Seville), Villella's decision to mount the 19th-century landmark of the traditional repertory proved a perfect fit for his energetic and striking young Miamians.

This "Don Quixote" is a tale of youthful romance. Basilio, a humble barber, loves Kitri, the innkeeper's daughter. Their relationship is complicated by Lorenzo, Kitri's father, who wants to marry her off to Gamache, a rich but foolish fop. Further complications involve the aged Don Quixote who, abetted by his squire Sancho Panza, becomes mesmerized by Kitri, mistakenly thinking that she is the Virgin Mary.

The story, though, is but a means to an end. With "Don Quixote," as in virtually all classical ballet, it is the dancing that counts. And, what dancing it was! From the lovers to the townspeople, the flowergirls, toreadors and gypsies, the 36-strong Miami troupe danced as though freed from the bounds of gravity.

Villella's casting was superb. As the young lovers, Katia Carranza (Kitri) and Carlos Guerra (Basilio) danced with impassioned simpatico. Whether in solo, or in tandem, the couple's amour was at once flushed and spiritual. Carranza's control of every gesture, whether en pointe or soaring aloft in Guerra's strong arms, was similarly notable.

The secondary roles of street dancer Mercedes (Patricia Delgado) and matador Espada (Daymel Sanchez) also burned with an incandescent light. The corps de ballet which brought boisterous life to the town square and gypsy camp moved with impressive precision and esprit. In supporting roles, the actors animating the Don (Marc Spielberger), Panza (Luis Serrano), Gamache (Jeremy Cox) and Lorenzo (Didier Bramaz) hit their dramatic and comedic marks with aplomb.

The company's acting was superb. Using just the right combination of choreographic as well as facial expressions, these dancing actors effectively mined the ballet's wonderful mix of romance, comedy and dramatic intrigue.

Setting off the inspired fusion of dance and Leon Minkus's brilliant Tchaikovsky-esque orchestral score, the production benefited hugely from Santo Loquasto's beautifully designed costumes and sets.

At the end of the evening, the elated near-capacity crowd stood as one to salute the magnificent Miamians and Villella's exuberant adaptation (executed in collaboration with Geta Constantinescu).

Yes, it was a grand night for dancing!

Chuck Berg is a professor at The University of Kansas. He can be reached at cberg@ku.edu.